Made in Italy | Sold in America: An Exhibition of and for Italophiles

The NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò presents Made in Italy | Sold in America: Fashion in Attenzione Magazine, 1979-1987. This retrospective exhibition showcases Attenzione, an Italian lifestyle magazine that was targeted toward Italophiles and published in the US during the early 1980s and the heyday of the “New Wave Era”. The post-facto exhibition is featured alongside a curation of pieces from the NYU Costume Studies MA Study Collection. 

Attenzione delved into various aspects of Italian culture such as politics, society, arts, food, and notably, fashion. While some sects of the readership criticized the inclusion of fashion as contrary to the magazine’s purpose of promoting “true” Italian heritage and history, others found it inspiring and a source of pride to learn about the success of Made in Italy designers. By presenting the magazine alongside designer fashion from the 1980s till now, the exhibit aims to provide a context for the emergence of Italian fashion in the US market at a time when Made in Italy was becoming globally popular and recognized. 

The exhibition collection of covers, accessories, clothes, and memorabilia was curated and made possible by NYU Italian Studies Ph.D. candidate Marcella Martin. The Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò expo opened with a panel discussion moderated by its director Stefano Albertini, curator Marcella Martin, and former editorial staffer of Attenzione Anthony Shuugar. The exhibition will be on view and open to the public until May 5th.

-Coby Hobbs